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Alleged T fare evader turns out to be wanted for indecent assault and battery on a minor

A man allegedly spotted by a T cop skipping a fare gate at Quincy Center this morning is an unregistered convicted sex offender wanted in Suffolk County on a warrant for indecent assault and battery on a minor.

According to an MBTA Transit Police report, William Garfield, 37, evaded the fare, along with an adult female companion at the Red Line stop around 10 a.m.

Garfield, who gave the Pine Street Inn as his home address, was convicted in 1993 on two counts of indecent assault and battery, one on a minor and one on an adult, and again in 2006 on charges of indecent assault and battery on a minor and rape and abuse of a child, according to his record at the state Sexual Offense Registry Board.

In addition to the outstanding indecent-assault charge, Garfield was also wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. His companion, a 42-year-old woman, was issued a citation for fare evasion.

Not terribly surprising. Law abiding types generally pay their fares. While I can imagine kids sneaking in because they can (and don't have money), I'd wager that a disproportionate number of adults who regularly evade fares have some sort of record.